Gordie Johnson has many musical influences, with tastes as varied as morning, noon and night.

One major influence on SDS are The Swan Silvertones, an American gospel group founded in in 1938 under the original name, The Four Harmony Kings.

In the 1960s there seemed to be a question of faith. A picture was floating around that said “God is dead”. Time magazine even posed the question on a cover: “Is God dead?” The Swan Silvertones answered the question in the title of their 1972 song: “If You Believe Your God Is Dead, Try Mine” – he’s still alive.